Earlier this month, the Oklahoma City Chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State put together an interfaith discussion covering various aspects of secularism, taking a broad global and historical view. The speaker’s panel included the Rev. Dr. William Tabbernee, Professor Bilal Erturk, church/state and gay rights activist James Nimmo, and Odd Oklahoman Clayton Flesher, who serves at the Education Chair for the Oklahoma Atheists. The panel was moderated by Chas Stewart, who runs the Oklahoma Atheists Blog and co-produces the Oklahoma Atheists Godcast.
Never before have I witnessed a roomful of Muslims, Atheists, and Christians (in roughly equal proportions) dining together and discussing the role of religion in public life, and there is a strong probability that I’ll never see it happen again. Prior to the delightful Turkish fare and mingling about, there was a fairly academic discussion which was caught on film:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyoZxMX0mBA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZXirmp-XpM
Discussion ranged from the religious ethics of the death penalty, to the Rawlsian veil of ignorance, to differences between heavy-handed laïcité and a more benignly neutral form of secularism, to the role of government in recognizing and solemnizing marriages. The Red Dirt Report has already reported on the event, and Clayton will be writing up a whole series on it as well. Enjoy!
